June 2 2009- A Wall Street Journal piece on April8, 2009 (Electricity grid in US penetrated by Spies) increased fear about foreign intrusion into our electricity grid. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is leading Pres. Obama/s charge in this area.  I assume that we have as many people trying to “hack” other countries electricity grid as they do ours. I certainly hope our people are better at hacking their system. I certainly hope that we are hacking into multiple countries. I certainly hope that with the flip of a switch someone at the CIA can disrupt the power grids of the whole world.  Over optimistic…I think not. Overly paranoid…I think not.   http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090601_2309.php

 

June 2 2009- NEMA supports the smart grid- DUH. NEMA is the National Electrical Manufacturers Association .  NEMA members manufacture or will manufacture the gazillion dollar infrastructure that will be the new smart grid and associated stuff.   On a related front the NCA (National Cheese Association) has written a letter in support of upping the daily recommended amount of cheese that each person eats from 1 once to 3 pounds. On a related note the ALF  (Association of Lobster Fishermen)  has suggested that we raise the recommended daily dosage of lobster from .12 pounds to 6 pounds per week. Not only does NEMA support the build out of the Grid they want the government to pay for all of it.  Read NEMA’s letter at http://www.nema.org/gov/energy/smartgrid/upload/CEO_Response_Letter.pdf

http://www.utilityproducts.com/display_article/363770/129/none/none/Indus/NEMA-Members-United-in-Support-of-Obama-Administration’s-Emphasis-on-Smart-Gri

 

June 2 2009- A Reuters news report suggests that there are privacy issues related to all the information utilities will have about energy use.

“In addition to reaching into homes to regulate devices, information about usage and activities could be extracted from homes. Home energy consumption patterns could be gathered and analyzed on a room-by-room and device-by-device basis to determine which devices are used and at what time of day. Although this sort of information may not be considered terribly invasive for some, for others anything that violates the sanctity of “home” may cause tremendous concern.”

This type of article will be a more frequent resident of the blogs, webpages, newspapers (if they still exist in 6 months) , reports, magazines, tweets based on fraud and fallacy probably. But the real point is that utilities must get in front and build the trust and the relationship now. If the Utility waits until consumers rally at their PUC’s…IT WILL TOO LATE

http://www.reuters.com/article/mnGreenTechnology/idUS18202914020090601

June 2 2009  Sources for Smart grid  Funding.  There are Utility execs who are saying./..there is a rainbow at the end of the storm…get your piece of the pie. http://www.metrocorpcounsel.com/current.php?artType=view&artMonth=June&artYear=2009&EntryNo=9770

 

June 2 2009 – Another entry into the this is the smart grid and this is what it will do contest.  They do compare the smart grid programs to the Manhattan Project… no hype here     http://www.govtech.com/gt/691728?topic=117671

 

 

June 2 2009  – Landis+Gyr (who has a facility in Lafayette, IN) is making deals. http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-01-2009/0005035446&EDATE=

 

June 2 2009 – Asia is moving into the SG cautiously. OK…I was fearful they were racing and would beat us. Now I am calm.  http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62054547,00.htm

 

June 2 2009  An analysis of the Waxman-Markey Climate bill which includes smart grid stuff.

http://westcoastclimateequity.org/?p=3123

 

June 2 2009  – There was a company called Sky Pilot. It was bought by Trilliant (makers of systems for the SG)   What ios cool here is that there was/is a company called sky pilot and we can now all sing the Eric Burdon and the Animals version of the song without fear of embarrassment….this is a good day.

http://www.thegreenitreview.com/2009/06/trilliant-buys-skypilot.html

June 1 2009 – China has embarked on a 10 year+ project to build a smart grid. The Gov’t releasing a report outlining plans and goals this summer. GE is a partner.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200906/
20090601/article_402643.htm

June 1 2009 – West Virginia- every state is duplicating what every state is doing. Another energy summit. The self-serving and self-aggrandizement accorded to Politicians and pseudo-politicians to hold these summits as if they are the one and only summit just depresses me. The duplication makes me want to curl up in a ball in a fetal position and cry. Here is my last thought on this..BITE me.
http://www.timeswv.com/business/local_story_150195821.html

June 1 2009- The Cleantech group is a consulting group and a portal for information around “clean” industries. To get the good stuff you have to join (of course). They have a Grid subgroup (it is hard to find). They do collect news about the SG http://tinyurl.com/mx9ewv

June 1 2009 – GE Augmented Reality – I swear to God…this is pretty cool. Demonstrations are pretty innovative ways of the promise of the smart grid. This is way way way cooler and better than the scarecrow by the way.
Look at this first http://marijanstefanovic.com/blog/?p=5696
The here http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/landing_page

June 1 2009- Latest solar power news for homes. Went to site found they wanted too much information from me before they showed me what was in their pants…BITE me.

June 1 2009 – The SciencePunk Blog has a discussion of EU Energy policy and elections …too many words.
http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/05/meps_science_energy.php

June 1 2009 – From a blog about security and business concerns .. The page has a boring ass video about the SG but this is useful—
A primer on the topic
Blog on smart grid security
Some companies in this space

June 1 2009 – A how to on how to use Google Android to use the Grid powered super powers in the home. http://labs.moto.com/android-meets-energy/
Listen guys…I want you to make even harder to make sense of this whole thing for most consumers. BITE me.

May 30 2009- A visit to the Envision Center of Duke Energy highlights 2 very important things:
1. Duke Energy is a visionary company thinking 30 years out
2. This is the most impressive display of what the full potential of the Smart Gird is that I have seen.
3. Even though Duke clearly has a handle on the Smart Gird and what it means they believe are over confident in their understanding of how the consumer will affect and be affected by the Gird
4. The potential effects of the SG are probably greater than they realize.

Article

May 29 2009- Smart grid workshops are being planned in CO. The point of which appears to be self flagellation. The proclaimed point is to prepare a workforce for the reality of the Grid…HUH. Maybe I am missing something. Try working with consumers who will never attend a workshop to even partly use the grid that you now have.
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20090529/UPDATES03/90529032/1002/NEWS01

May 29 2009- Hughes Network Systems believes that they have something that Utilities want as the utilities deal with the SG. ..YEAH right. What would you expect them to say? They have satellite based IP capability for legacy SCADA networks. You have to love it when they speak technically.
http://www.satellitetoday.com/st/headlines/Hughes-Names-Encore-As-Broadband-Technology-Partner_31135.html

May 29 2009- Each state will now be lobbying foreign governments to profit from their late entry to the smart grid world. Why should the Japanese think that New Mexico has their solution? My cynical view is this justifies trade trips for State officials. Pick a country…sign an MOU…you are in the game.
http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/06/01/story1.html
http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/06/01/story1.html?b=1243828800%5E1836038

May 29 2009- “The smart grid presents a massive opportunity for networking and software players, including wireless mesh companies, broadband powerline players, energy dashboard web interface makers, and software systems developers. VCs who cut their teeth on these types of companies during Internet, computing and telecom build-outs, will feel right at home evaluating these firms and finding a potential breakout.”
VC’s are salivating. The positive side is that because of this we will see a lot of innovation. The downside…we will have to do something with all that saliva.
http://www.reuters.com/article/earth2Tech/idUS207612791920090529

May 29 2009 My view is that if the SG is so smart why can’t it make a latte.

May 29 2009 President Obama proposed Cybersecurity Czar (or Czaress or Cyber hunk/cyberbabe) to mitigate recent beliefs that a national smart grid system will be vulnerable to attack. The government review makes one clear statement about the SG… “The Nation should implement, for high-value activities (e.g., the Smart Grid), an opt-in array of interoperable identity management systems to build trust for online transactions and to enhance privacy.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/05/29/cybersecurity-the-electric-grid-and-smokey-bear/

May 24 2009 – If the SG is the next big thing it should also be a big thing in investing.  The Rocket Science Capital Advisors gp has put together a grid stock index of 21 grid related companies

 

http://www.rocketcap.com/rocketcap-smart-grid-stock-index%C2%A9-update-5-22-09/

I lose money on everything else I invest in I might as well lose some money on these companies.

 

May 24 2009-  Scientists presented a paper at the American Society for Microbiology (and you can imagine the tremendous sexual tension at that meeting) talked about using microorganisms to generate electrici5y that would then put plugged into the SG. As a frequent speaker about the meaningless research that I have done and the audience to ponderous and silly presentations from researchers who justify their existence by presentations at conferences in the hopes of getting research grants (and developing long run-on sentences.  If wind energy is 1% of total energy than let’s hope that microorganism produced energy reaches .00000000000000009 of energy production. It probably is better if we create organisms that eat the humans that mow the lawns that use the energy.

http://www.innovationtoronto.com/2009/05/24/scientists-work-to-plug-microorganisms/

 

 

May 24 2009-  The Opnode project….open source HAM automation.  Does this blogger, researcher, inventor have street cred? Worth watching. I like the humbleness of his thinking.

http://greenprofs.com/open-source-hardware-for-smart-grid-systems/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

 

May 24 2009 – Wimax as the solution for Utilities overcapacity on their existing networks that will be unable to meet the demands of the grid.   http://4gdomains.com/2009/05/introducing-private-mobile-wimax/

 

May 24 2009 – Digi International software and hardware solution for TXU Energy’s SG implementation.

Another day another solution.

http://smartgrid.testing-blog.com/2009/05/24/wireless-solution-simplifies-smart-grid-connections/

 

May 18, 2009- Here is why you must get out in front of all media to get your story out.. In this BBC report it looks like everything SG is because of Cisco and Cisco only.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8056083.stm

 

May 25 2009 – Here’s a guy who things the SG will advance social media and health care…

http://www.howardluksmd.com/journal/2009/5/23/can-soc-media-and-digital-medicine-decrease-the-economic-bur.html

 

May 23 2009- Here’ s a blogger who believes that his energy proposal will take over the world? More power to her/him…

http://googleblogup.blogspot.com/2009/05/clean-energy-2030.html

 

May 22 2009-  GE shows off Grid savvy appliances in a new video… http://earth2tech.com/2009/05/21/video-ge-demos-smart-appliances/

 

May 28 2009- Earth2tech conferences on the Internets role in green.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=earth2tech&aq=f

http://events.earth2tech.com/greennet/09/videos/

http://events.earth2tech.com/greennet/09/

May 20 2009- Different states…different utilities…different thinking and progress toward the SG.  Some industry wide coordination might reflect better on then zutilities than 100 players going in 99 different directions…but who am I to say.  Different directions lends itself to government regulation.

http://www.nhpr.org/node/25059

 

May 20 2009 –  The AARP opposes the SG –   If you needed a better example of how engineering consumed utilities are go no farther than this.  You have already pissed off the largest lobbying group in the US. Instead of getting them on your side you have ignored them and let their preconceived notions of the SG guide their behavior. You will pay a price for this.  Engineering thinking…..   http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/05/smartgrid_oppos.html;jsessionid=
23AIECWOCY1VGQSNDLPCKH0CJUNN2JVN

 

 

May 19 2009  – The SG and security –  This Business Week piece says that security is  a major issue. I just got back from an industry conference where I was told (by engineers who should know) that this is a straw dog. Well which is it and why isn’t the industry out in front of this.   http://www.businessweek.com/blogs/money_politics/archives/2009/05/talking_about_a.html

 

 

May 20 2009  – Cisco and the SG-  If Cisco endorses the SG watch out. Says it will be a 20 billion dolar business in 5 years. Involved with Miami and Pecan Street projects.

                               http://cleantechbrief.com/node/520                     http://www.crn.com/government/217500646;jsessionid=R1OZHG0ISL0TOQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN

 

                             Oracle rolls out end to end SG solution software – http://earth2tech.com/2009/05/20/oracles-rumbles-into-smart-grid-software-market/

 

 

May 20 2009- Google signed up 8 utilities for a free SG home monitoring system.  What the Google brand does is increases the probability that a consumer will trust and try whatever it is the utility is trying to get them to try.  The analogy here would be Google earth…how many people use it regularly or have tried it.  I think we need to watch Google. Just another step in Google taking over the world.  http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10245295-54.html

 

May 20 2009 – an interview with   Mie Davis director of one of US DOE’s 10 national labs. He suggests an air traffic control system for the SG.  This might be  a precursor to Federal oversight direction.

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/smart-grid-qa-mike-davis-4876

 

May 20 2009- The EU and the SG…80% of EU consumers will have smart metering by 2020.  http://www.euractiv.com/en/energy/power-sector-calls-smart-grid-support/article-182541

 

May 20 2009 –  the first set of standards for the SG have been released…

http://www.fcw.com/Articles/2009/05/18/Web-NIST-Smart-Grid.aspx

May 17   African delegation visits Smart grid in Texas–  Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative wants to export their expertise in Smart Grid infrastructure to African nation of Sudan.  If I were you I would figure out what my expertise is and market it pick a country.   

http://www.smartmeters.com/the-news/534-african-delegation-visits-smart-grid-in-texas.html

 

May 19 – The ZigBee Smart Energy HAN (home area network for those of you from Indiana) is the only standardized solution that meets IETF requirements. This article states that ZigBee (whose corporate motto is “Control your world) is further incorporating  IP protocol standards.

http://www.wirelessdesignasia.com/article-10717-zigbeeallianceplansfurtherintegrationofinternetprotocolstandards-Asia.html

 

May 16- From The Hill Heat –  full text of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 –  More scintillating reading. I am sure there is something very important in here but I am also sure that I will not be the one to find it….my mind glazed over. This is why our elected reps make so much money. How long did it take to write this? http://www.hillheat.com/articles/2009/05/17/official-summary-of-waxman-markey-american-clean-energy-and-security-act-h-r-2454

 

If you are just interested in the smart grid…

• 1.5 Subtitle E – Smart Grid Advancement
• 1.5.1 Section 141, Definitions:
• 1.5.2 Section 142, Assessment of Smart Grid Cost Effectiveness in Products:
• 1.5.3 Section 143, Inclusions of Smart Grid Capability on Appliance ENERGY GUIDE Labels:
• 1.5.4 Section 144, Smart Grid Peak Demand Reduction Goals:
• 1.5.5 Section 145, Reauthorization of Energy Efficiency Public Information Program to Include Smart Grid Information:

May 21 2009- The hype about the SG is only matched by its widespread deployment. Consumers may not know that they already have smart grid  technology installed. We will be seeing more and more announcements like this one for Springs utilities about their deployment.    http://www.gazette.com/articles/utilities-54617-grid-smart.html

 

May 21 2009 – Energy Deputy and Commerce Dept  Cabinet agencies are moving ahead with plans to speed deployment of a national smart grid. “ A National Priority”.  http://www.gazette.com/articles/utilities-54617-grid-smart.html

 

May 20 2009- Google + 8 Utilities …enough said.   http://www.reuters.com/article/gwmBuildings/idUS62323172620090521

 

May 21 2009- DOE gets and earful about the grid and stimulus money. There is a disconnect between what the government is doing  and what utilities are doing and what they know each other is doing.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/05/doe-gets-earful-from-smart-grid-companies-over-stimulus.ars

 

 

May 22 2009 – China to build SG by 2020. The difference here is that there is a state controlled Utility Comp from which everything flows.

http://tinyurl.com/lwyt8r

 

May 20 2009 – The Australian Government commits  100 million to build out a smart grid. EnergyAustralia has already invested 170 million.  http://tdworld.com/smart_grid_automation/australia-smart-grid-0509/

 

May 2009 –  ABB urges industry collaboration and acceleration of SG standards.   

http://tinyurl.com/o26vy4

 

May 21 2009-   EnerVault building batteries for storage for grid that are as effective and MUCH cheaper than “regular” storage . Got some money…they are looking for financing.  While we have smart meters that are well developed we are just in the beginning for storage.

http://tinyurl.com/o4tgkr

May 21 2009 – Nice blog summary of cap and trade for the construction  industry.   http://collaborativeconstruction.blogspot.com/2009/05/analysis-of-stimulus-bill-by-jim.html

Welcome to Smart Grid World; an irreverent maybe irrelevant and ill conceived set of summaries, views, observations, and opinions as an academic consumer psychologist looks at  what is appearing in the news and views of the world about the Smart Grid.

 

The Smart Grid is the foundation for modernizing the energy system of the US to save energy, reduce costs, increase reliability, and decrease the need to build coal based plants.

The “Smart Grid” (SG) can best be described as a set of technology tools (hardware, software and communications networks) retrofitted to the country’s existing electricity distribution infrastructure.  This communications network will extend from the high-voltage transmission lines, all the way to the end consumer, where the “finger tips” of the network directly touch energy-consuming equipment. So called “smart” meters installed on homes and businesses will communicate with new smart devices (outlets, appliances, thermostats, furnaces, water heaters, plug-in electric vehicles, etc.)  in the home or business. New processes and pricing plans will be utilized by both the home / business owner and the energy provider to optimize the benefits and costs savings then available.

The ultimate goals of implementing all of these aspects of the Smart Grid, are the employment of new, environmentally friendly generation sources, deferral (or even elimination) of the construction of more carbon-based generation, the minimization of the use of gas for residential/ commercial heating and hot water and the added benefit of the end users having a better control over  their energy usage and spend.